Celebration for shop owner as store marks fifth anniversary
An independent shop owner in Horsham celebrated her business’s fifth birthday on Saturday (March 5).
Angela Maskell, better known as Angie, opened her women’s clothing store Deja! Style in March 2017.
She said: “I honestly can’t believe we have made it this far. It was a lot of hard work, but I’ve loved it.”
In 2016, with a degree and professional background in costume design, Angie identified a gap in the fashion retail market for a more personalised shop experience to offer customers. She said: “Deja! is an attitude, not a size, because we understand that every woman is different.
“I’m a designer and a cutter. So I understand the ins and outs of clothing, how they are created and the fabrics needed to make them. A lot of retailers who open a shop, don’t have that knowledge.”
Angie started with a stall in Horsham Market before opening her shop in Park Place, and the business has faced many obstacles including the redevelopment of neighbouring Piries Place, and then the pandemic.
Ever since re-opening the shop after the lockdown in April 2021, Deja! Has gone from strength to strength, starting with a £5,000 refurbishment through the Horsham District Council Shop Improvement Grant for Business.
Angie says business has never been better and she’s expanded the brand name, running a Deja Diva Boot Camps with Andrew Wilson in Horsham Park every Monday night. Angie said she aims to promote mental and physical confidence within women of all sizes through these exercise classes.
Angie said: “All I want to do is help women with their confidence and make them feel better about themselves.”